Gift Guide: Local Father’s Day gifts that don’t suck

Any gift that you get from your lovely daughter or son is a wonderful gift. Their smiling grubby faces greeting you in the morning might be enough. Now that we’ve got that schmaltz out of the way, let’s talk about stuff. Gifty stuff! We’ve consulted all the dads on our full-time staff and this is what they (okay, he) came up with.

Virginia is for Lovers Truckers Hat

$14.95 at Virginia is for Lovers online store

It walks the fine line between super trendy and retro-cool. What separates this hat from the rest is that it’s relatively cheap in cost but it’s also a damn fine-made hat. Holds up equally well at the pool and behind the grill tending to the meats.

Richmond Flag Sidearm Flask

$18 at Richmond Grid Facebook online store

Let’s face it–the craft beer growler thing is never going to catch on. The future is in small flasks. This item gets a heap of bonus points for using the city of Richmond flag depicting a man pole vaulting over the James River. Made by Shine Craft Vessels, you just feel the quality when you pick it up. Also, if you disagree with my assessment that craft beer will never catch on, Shine has some really nice growlers for sale.

Lower River Rafting

$59/person weekdays, $69/person on weekends with Riverside Outfitters

Imagine the stories that Dad would tell again, again, and again if you sent him down the river. Every event you attended within sight of the river, the story would be told of how he conquered the might James’ Class IV rapids located right downtown. His proud tales of heroism will grow over time, so really this is a gift that keeps on giving. Also, there is a chance that your dad could mess up and end up falling out of the raft–so you should go along with camera in hand.

Beer Stuff

If dad doesn’t already have all the cool beer swag he needs, just go ahead and turn in his dad card. There are, however, a bunch of beer-related events all over Richmond this weekend. We wrapped up most of them earlier this week in our RVA Beer Explorer. The Center of the Universe’s Dad’s Day Pig Out and Veil’s Father’s Day with a craft market are especially intriguing. Step up, be the designated driver, and let dad have a grand ole time.

Virginia Historical Society Membership

$65 Individual Membership at Virginia Historical Society

History is awesome. Tragedies, romances, betrayals, and epic tales abound. A membership at VHS gives you a peek at even more history. Your basic benefits include free admittance to special exhibitions, research library, Virginia House, banner lectures, and gallery walks. The icing on the historical cake is a free appointment (two hours) with museum staff to research an object in the VHS collection. Your dad’s dream of being the Commonwealth’s Indiana Jones can start here. Virginia Jones doesn’t have the same ring, but don’t let that stop him.

Season Tickets to Richmond Kickers

$175 to $75 at Richmond Kickers

Photo by James Loving

Although the season is well underway, there are still around 20 games left, so it’s still worth getting a season ticket. If your dad loves an underdog, even better, because so far the season hasn’t gone as planned for Richmond’s professional soccer team.

This one will only work if your father likes soccer. If you’re trying to convert him to the beautiful game, start off with a ticket or two. This weekend is a perfect introduction because the Kickers are featuring a deal for BBQ & Bluegrass night. Twenty-two bucks gets dad into the pre-game VIP party with pulled pork, jerk chicken, two beers, and admission to the game.

The savvy amongst you will notice a huge disparity in the pricing on season tickets. The expensive ones will put dad at mid-field in a nice comfy seat with an unobstructed view. The cheap ones will put dad in the midst of the Red Army, a standing, screaming, drinking, smoke bomb-wielding, flag waving, sea of humanity that spends as much time insulting the opposing team as they do watching the game. So basically something for everyone. Full disclosure: the author of this list is a member of the Red Army and is willing to offer any father a complimentary beer at an upcoming tailgate.

Bonus Tip

Right now all Richmond Kickers gear is 20% off for Father’s Day, so get a jersey and customize it with a random endearing nickname like POP POPPITY POP or DADDIO. (Today, Thursday is the last day of the sale so move quick.)